Hiking Pilot Mountain State Park

Driving north on Highway 52, Pilot Mountain is the stony punctuation in the rolling hills of the North Carolina countryside. You can’t miss it. The quartzite mountain rises to 2421 feet and is a remnant of the ancient Sauratown Mountain Range in the Yadkin Valley. Native Americans, wildlife and explorers have used Pilot Mountain as a landmark for centuries.

I visited Pilot Mountain State Park while on a trip to explore Winston-Salem, about 24 miles to the south. Leaves were still clinging to the hickory and oak trees, making a colorful backdrop to the paved drive up to the summit parking lot.

Joining a few weekday visitors, I walked the trail to the Big Pinnacle Overlook, stopping at scenic spots to take photos. The relatively easy trail includes walking up and over deep stones. Dried autumn leaves covered some of the trail and would have been slippery after a rain. But on this sunny, November day, the trail was a great way to walk off the calories from the fine Southern food that I’d been sampling in Winston-Salem.

Pilot Mountain State Park also includes a section on the Yadkin River as well as access to Horne Creek Farm, an educational center focused on preserving North Carolina’s rural heritage. Active boomers will find hiking, canoeing, cycling, fishing and even rock climbing opportunities at Pilot Mountain State Park.

Will you be visiting Winston-Salem, North Carolina? Here’s an outdoor itinerary for you:

More Southeast U.S. hiking adventures:

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